Home-route-card holder.



A. P. HOFFMAN.

HOME ROUTE CARD HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1911.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0..\'VASH|NcTON. n. c.

A. F. HOFFMAN.

HOME ROUTE CARD HOLDER.

APPLICATION, FILED JUNE 15. 1911.

1,050,831. Patented Jan.21,1913.

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INITIAL NUMBER l wzz zz z COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH cm, WASHINGTON. 0.1..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT FREDERICK HOFFMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF FORTY-NINE ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO JOHN OKEEFE, 0F HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

HOME-ROUTE-CARD HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15, 1911.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913. Serial No. 633,266.

tries indicative of the various roads over which a car has traveled from the time of leaving the home line until its return thereto. The holders themselves are adapted to be attached to the sides of the cars and are usually so constructed as to contain the cards within their interiors, part or parts of the holders being open or openable to provide for access to the cards.

In the present instance the holder is materially improved in certain respects hereinafter specified and described at length, notably in that the cover with'which it is furnished is so constructed as to swing in a plane parallel with and in close proximity to the car side during its movements into open or closed position, thereby obviating the danger of its striking against and being injured by poles and similar objects adjacent the track when the car is in motion; and, further, in that said cover is so constructed as to be capable of being readily manipulated, of normally occupying its closed position by reason of its weight and manner of mounting, and of protecting the cards by completely preventing entrance of moisture into the body of the holder.

A structural embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereof Figures 1 and 2 are front and rear elevations, respectively, of the improved holder, showing the cover in open position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, showing the cover in closed position. Figs. 4 and 5 are front and rear perspective views of the holder, with the cover in closed position. Fig. 6 Ban enlarged face view of one of the cards employed in connection with the holder.

As shown in said drawings, the holder comprises two essential parts, namely, the body or holder proper l, and the cover 2.

The first of these parts preferably consists of a flat substantially rectangular base portion 3 formed along its respective marginal edges with outwardly extending lateral flanges 4, 5, 6 and 7, and at its corners with perforated ears 8. One of the side flanges,

in the present instance the right-hand flange 4, has formed upon its front or outer face a longitudinal shoulder 9 which terminates at its upper end just short of the top flange 5 and is inwardly beveled at the point specified, as indicated by the numeral 10. The aforesaid top flange 5 is formed at its front edge with a longitudinal shoulder 11 that extends upwardly therefrom at right angles and has a substantially triangular or wedge-like shape, the upper edge 12,0f said shoulder being beveled inwardly or rearwardly and downwardly toward the wall of the car to which the body 1 is attached. The bottom flange 7 has a triangular cross-sectional shape, its inclined face 13 being directed rearwardly and upwardly toward the base 3.

The companion part or element, 2'. 6., the cover 2, preferably consists of a flat substantially rectangular plate 14 whose width is approximately the same as that of base 3, but whose height considerably exceeds that of said base, the thickness of said plate being equal to the width of the shoulder 9 on flange 4 so that when the cover is in closed position its outer face and that of said flange Will lie in the same plane. Said cover is pivotally connected with the body or holder proper l by a bolt 15 or the like, which is passed through the enlarged righthand end portion, of shoulder 11 and through plate 14 adjacent the upper righthand corner thereof, the mounting being such, therefore, as to cause said cover to normally assume its closed position by reason of its own weight. To limit the swinging movement of said cover into the position indicated, the left-hand side edge of plate 14 is formed with a longitudinal flange 16 which projects laterally inward from the rear or inner face thereof and is adapted to contact squarely against the ad jacent side face of flange 6, flange 16 being provided at its lower end with an extension 17 which projects below the holder proper and constitutes a finger-piece or handle, as will be understood. Upon the upper portion of its rear or inner face, plate 14 is provided with a shoulder 18 which also is designed to assist in the normal retention of the cover in its proper position, by reason of its codperation with shoulder 11. Like that shoulder, shoulder 18 is of substantially triangular shape, but is arranged reversely with respect thereto so that its longer inclined side edge 19 will contact squarely against the straight portion of edge 12, said edge 19 being beveled reversely to edge 12, as shown in Fig. 3. Adjacent the point of intersection of the top edge of shoulder 18 and the edge 19, the latter edge is provided with a downwardly directed angular projection o-r lug 20, one edge of which is adapted to abut against the adjacent end of the shorter curved portion of edge 12 when the cover is closed, as shown in Fig. 5, while the other edge of said lug is adapted to abut against the opposite end of said curved portion when the cover is raised, the extreme end portion 21 of shoulder 18 engaging the adjacent portion of flange 4 where the latter and said curved portion meet. The lower portion of the right-hand side edge of plate 14 is cut away so as to enable the inner longitudinal side face of shoulder 9 to contact with the adjacent edge of said plate, the laterally projecting shoulder 22 produced by this operation extending across the upper end portion of the front face of flange 6 and having its lower end 23 beveled so as to abut squarely against the end 10 of shoulder 9.

The cards 24 are designed to be suspended within the interior of the holder proper from hooks 25 or analogous supporting devices, the upper portions of the cards being provided with perforations 26 through which the hooks are inserted. These hooks are substantially Z-shaped, the cards being suspended from the lower rear portions thereof and being held against displacement by the vertical connecting portions. The lower edges of the cards terminate adjacent the bottom flange 7 of the holder, the inclined face 13 of that flange permitting the specified edges of the cards to be readily grasped.

. From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the cover is in its closed position the cards will be completely concealed within the holder and will thus be protected against the elements, the cover being retained in such position by reason of the mutual contact of the several parts above specified. The extension of shoulder 11 above flange 5 and the rearward beveling of the abutting edges 19 and 12 in particular effectually prevent the entrance of water into the holder. On being opened, the cover moves in a vertical plane paralel with the car wall and is, therefore, in little danger of being struck or injured in the event that it accidentally swings open, the extent of its upward movement being limited by reason of the provision of finger 21 which, as already stated, is adapted to strike against the upper end of flange 4 and the adjacent part of the curved portion of shoulder 11.

As regards the cards themselves, they are preferably marked upon their outer faces with intersecting horizontal and vertical lines a and b, which divide said faces into series of rows of spaces 0 wherein the necessary entries are to be made, the correct order of the entries being indicated by the arrows d. When all of the entries have been made in the proper manner, the cards will constitute an accurate record of the trip of the car, showing the various roads by which it was handled and the period of time it was used by each road.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A holder for home route cards, comprising, in combination, a card containing body adapted for attachment in a vertical plane to the side of a railway car, and a cover pivoted to said body and adapted to swing in a plane parallel therewith, said body being provided at its upper edge with a forwardly projecting horizontal flange having an upstanding longitudinal shoulder formed upon its front edge in spaced parallel relation to the car side, and said cover being provided upon its rear face with a shoulder having the lower edge thereof adapted to abut against the upper edge of the first named flange when the cover is closed, the abutting edges of said shoulders being beveled rearwardly and downwardly to prevent the admission of water into the holder.

2. A holder for home route cards, comprising, in combination, a card containing body portion adapted for attachment in a vertical plane to the side of a railway car and provided with forwardly projecting marginal flanges, and a cover pivoted to said body for swinging movement in a plane parallel therewith, the upper flange of said body having an upstanding longitudinal shoulder formed upon its front edge in spaced parallel relation to the car side, a portion of the upper edge of said shoulder being curved, the said cover having a shoulder provided upon its rear face for cooperation with the first named shoulder, the lower edge of the cover shoulder being formed adjacent one end thereof with an angular projection, one edge of which is adapted to abut against one end of the curved portion of said body shoulder to limit the downward movement of the cover and the other edge of which is adapted to abut against the opposite end of said curved portion to limit the upward movement of said cover.

3. A holder for home route cards, comprising, in combination, a card-containing body adapted for attachment in a vertical plane to the side of a railway car and provided at its marginal edges with forwardly projecting flanges, and a cover pivoted to said body for swinging movement in a plane parallel therewith, an upstanding shoulder formed upon the front edge of the upper flange in spaced parallel relation to the car side and having a downwardly and rearwardly beveled upper edge, a shoulder formed upon the rear face of the cover and formed with a downwardly and rearwardly beveled lower edge adapted to fit flush against the first-named beveled edge when said cover is closed to prevent the admission of water into said holder, and a rearwardly projecting longitudinal flange formed on one of the side edges of said cover and adapted to abut against the adjacent side flange on said body when said cover is closed, said cover flange having its lower end extending below the said body to provide a handle for raising the cover.

4:. A holder for railway cards, comprising, in combination, a card-containing body adapted for attachment in a substantially vertical plane to the side of a railway car, and a cover pivoted at one of its upper corners to the corresponding corner of said body and adapted to swing in a plane parallel therewith, said body being provided at its upper edge with an integral forwardly-projecting horizontal flange having an upstanding longitudinal shoulder formed upon its front edge in spaced parallel relation to the car side, and said cover being formed upon its rear face with a shoulder having the lower edge face thereof adapted to abut flush against the upper edge face of the firstnamed flange when the cover is closed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT FREDERICK HOFFMAN.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. DUNNING, W. H. COLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G. 

